Scientists say the Great Barrier Reef is dying. Here’s what we’re losing and what it means.

THE GREAT BARRIER REEF IS one of the natural wonders of the world, and it’s dying. That’s according to scientists, who say the reef is “terminal” thanks to the massive bleaching events that have happened as a result of climate change.

This is an enormous tragedy for the planet — the Great Barrier Reef is one of the most beautiful and biodiverse ecosystems on the planet, and its collapse is mostly the fault of mankind. Huge swaths of the reef are going through what’s known as “bleaching.” In short, bleaching is what happens when coral is put under great stress in its environment, possibly by a rise in temperatures or an increase in pollution. When coral bleaches, it is more likely to die. And if enough coral in a reef dies, much of the other life in the reef goes with it.

Photos by Scott Sporleder

We saw this coming, too — scientists have been warning us about the damage being done to the Great Barrier Reef for years. As the temperature of the ocean rises, as pollution increases, and as ocean acidity gets worse, this will happen in other reefs, too.

Some types of coral may be hardy enough to survive the mass bleaching, but the remaining reef will be a shadow of its former self. We destroyed in a matter of about a century and a half an ecosystem that took hundreds of thousands of years to develop.

The impulse, as a traveler, may be to try and visit the Great Barrier Reef before it disappears entirely. But if you want to go, you should educate yourself first. Unfortunately, tourism hasn’t always helped the reef. At times, irresponsible tourism has actively damaged it.

A view from above the waterline.

First, there’s the physical damage that tourism does to the reef. Snorkelers and divers who have behaved irresponsibly and have touched or even physically damaged parts of the reef have been part of the problem, as have the propellers of boats that have struck the reef while taking tourists out to go diving.

Tourism has also driven a demand for coastal developments near the reef. This can result in the dumping of chemicals into the sea, which can harm the reefs.

Tourists, of course, are not the only ones to blame. Overfishing has also been a problem. Some rare tropical fish are even caught using a stunning cyanide spray that leaves nasty chemicals in the reef they were taken from.

And ironically, movies with a pro-conservationist message like Finding Nemo have driven demand for the reef fish featured in the movie. And this has paradoxically harmed the reef.

In response to the problems that tourism has caused at the reef, operators in Australia have been becoming more environmentally friendly, and more eco-conscious.

The real problem, though, is climate change. Reefs are very fragile (and very important) ecosystems, and their collapse is not a good sign for our planet’s future.

The collapse of the Great Barrier Reef is truly sad. Travelers can learn a lesson here, though — wherever you go, make sure you’re leaving as little of a footprint on the local environment as possible. We have a great big world to go out and see, but we should leave it better than we found it. If we don’t approach our planet with that mentality, there will be more tragedies like this one.